


Surprise

by PurpleInuyashaGirl



Category: Code Lyoko, Kingdom Hearts
Genre: M/M, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-19
Updated: 2017-08-19
Packaged: 2018-12-17 06:51:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,646
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11846220
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PurpleInuyashaGirl/pseuds/PurpleInuyashaGirl
Summary: For the prompt:You live across from a McDonald's that is 100% automated. Every night from 2-4am, empty self-driving cars go through the drive through. Your curiosity is about to get the best of you.Mild cross-over fic.





	Surprise

Headlights on the wall caught Sora’s attention again, tearing it away from the small puppy trying to climb stairs to the clock on his phone. 2 am and right on time. Jumping up, Sora made it to the window as the car slowed with its indicator flashing, signalling as it turned out onto the empty street - driver seat empty. For 2 weeks Sora had been watching the empty vehicles stopping at the empty McDonald’s. Well, they were both automated, not empty - but that didn’t make it any less weird. Automated cars were still in the final stages of testing, according to tech news sites, trying to come up with a way for AI’s to get over that awkward “four-way stop sign, who should go first?” question. Driving at night might be the safest times to test them out, but why send some through a McDonald’s drive through without someone to enjoy the purchase? Because why go to a McDonald’s if someone wasn’t going to make a purchase?

Sora’s boyfriend, Riku, had brushed him off. Kids taking a joyride, or just testing the automatic cars for whatever reason. No reason to get worked up about it. _Yeah, right_.

 

Sora was going to get to the bottom of this.

 

Going to the door he grabbed his backpack, hastily assembled earlier this evening. A couple water bottles, extra phone charger, extra phone battery, already charged, and some granola bars for a snack. On went his sneakers and out the door he went, locking it behind him. _Riku would be so proud._ For the planning ahead part. Not so much the following an automated car to who-knows-where part.

 

Checking the intersection, Sora crossed the road as another car pulled into and around the building, entering the drive through lane. From the front of the building Sora could hear the buzz of the automated voice confirming a total and the vehicle pull up to the payment/pick up window. Technology really was amazing, and Sora walked to the edge of the building, hunkering down to watch the driverless car pull away from the window and head for the street exit.

 

Getting into a car would be a problem as they were probably locked. But every once in awhile, closer to 3 or 4 there was a little green truck that went through the drive through, and Sora was going to try to jump into the bed. Patting his pockets for his phone, Sora pulled it out to turn on his GPS and check the time - just after 3 and right next to the star labeled “Home.”

 

Approaching headlights had him glancing up as the green truck pulled into the parking lot headed for the drive through. The parking lot was so lit up that Sora could tell even from that distance that there was no driver or passenger in the truck. Caution had him poised near the exit, where the truck would have to break before turning out onto the road, instead of going back to the payment/pick up window to watch a personless exchange of money and food. Sure enough the truck completed the transaction, somehow, and slowed near the exit sign Sora waited by. Jumping into the bed wasn’t difficult as the vehicle came to an almost complete stop before turning out into the empty roadway. Settling back against his backpack, Sora watched the GPS as the vehicle took him home. Wherever that was.

 

The drive took an ever-loving hour, and Sora felt bad for the potentially wasted food sitting just feet from him. Sora also felt bad for how late he would be getting home; he really hadn’t anticipated the drive being very far from the McDonald’s and his home, despite his attempted preparations.

 

During the ride, he had snuck peeks into the vehicle from the back window, but it seemed to be like any other automatic car - all the necessities for a human to drive in case the want or need arose, but completely under the control of a computer. The truck was now approaching what appeared to be a large warehouse, the garage door opening silently despite the dingy exterior of the building. The vehicle pulled in, parked near the driverless car from earlier, and went silent in the dimly lit space. The buzzing of a smaller motor began just off to Sora’s right, and following the sound he spotted a small, electric toy car drive up to his driver’s door. From the open window came a small claw that deposited the white and yellow paper sack onto the top of the electric car, which promptly began driving back the way it came, past a couple of empty cars and towards a narrow hallway.

 

Hurrying, Sora jumped from the back of the truck, freezing as his sneaker slapped against cement to echo. No other sound arose aside from the retreating toy car, so he gave chase down the hallway and into a room covered with monitors. The toy car took a ramp towards a conveyer belt, going silent as it passed into a dark square in the wall.

 

“Dang.” Sora was skinny, but he wasn’t toy car small - no way was he following the food into that little hole.

 

“ _Dang._ ” echoed back from somewhere, quiet as the monitors buzzed. Then, “ _Who are you?_ ”

 

“Uuh… I’m sorry. I’m - ah- Sora.”

 

A copy of Sora’s face materialized on a screen to his left, but covered in yellow instead of brunett spikes.

 

“Yeah, that’s me.” Glancing around, Sora couldn’t find the camera that caught his picture.

 

“ _That’s me._ ” the quiet voice said, and as Sora watched, the eyebrows drew together and seemed to scowl, “ _Not you. This isn’t working._ ” On another screen a familiar, multicolored search engine began searching for descriptions of “Sea Salt.” Pictures of the ocean and how-tos were the results, but pages were turned too quickly for Sora to process “How to extract salt from the sea.” He watched as settings changed to display newest records first, then as it cycled through various photos, diagrams, websites, videos, and variations of the search including “taste sea salt,” “reactions sea salt,” “yummy sea salt,” “cooking sea salt,” and “making sea salt.” Eventually it went to “smooth sea salt” and “cold sea salt” which apparently weren’t quite right, either, as Sora’s yellow-framed face on the computer monitor just kept scowling.

 

“ _How do you make sea salt that is blue?_ ” asked aloud as the same question was typed into the search engine with results suggesting blue food coloring.

 

“Uuuh… Do you mean the ice cream?” And Sora watched as the face seemed to focus.

 

“ _What is ice cream?_ ” but only the last two words made it into the search engine, to a disgusted sound coming from the hidden speakers. “ _No. It is blue and salty. Like the sea._ ”

 

“Then search Sea Salt Ice Cream. You got a keyboard in here?”

 

“ _Yes._ ” One did not appear, but the face on the computer blanked to white as another search took its place. Sea Salt Ice Cream Charm and their old, forgotten logo appeared on screen while another monitor showed the results of “how to make ice cream,” yet another showed locations ice cream could be purchased. Another monitor lit up with a picture of the tub of ice cream decorated in Sea Salt Ice Cream Charm’s logo and another lit up with the hand-held popsicles, all blue and individually wrapped. “ _I found it._ ”

 

“Too bad they went out of business a few years ago.” Sora scratched his head, standing somewhat awkwardly in the middle of the monitor covered room, “They were really good. Salty, but also sweet.”

 

“ _I_ _will make it. My cars won’t fit. It can’t be a surprise if he helps._ ” The face looked sad and the voice was quieter, “ _I need to scan ice cream._ ”

 

Scuffing his shoe, Sora spoke up again, “I could get some for you. If, uh, could you give me a ride back home?”

 

“ _This is home._ ”

 

“This is your home, not mine. I live… by that McDonald’s you got food from?”

 

“ _Okay. You will get me ice cream. Tomorrow, it is too late tonight or it will not be a surprise. Good night._ ” The screens began clicking off as a background hum of electronics faded.

 

“Wait! I need to go home!” The screen with Sora’s face didn’t change or turn off, but the eyes closed, “Please take me home?” Realizing that he was almost touching the screen, Sora stepped back, embarrassed. He could walk, it would just take forever… and if he asked for a ride from Riku his boyfriend might freak out. He was an hour’s drive away from home… with a crazy explanation.

“ _Okay. Show me where you will get the ice cream and when._ ” The eyes were open again, and standing this close Sora recognized the color from his mirror. Nodding, he saw the image on the screen mimic him, “ _Tomorrow, then._ ”

 

“Tomorrow.” Sora went to hold up his hand, pinky extended as he normally did with friends, a pinky promise made and kept. Face warming, he waved instead, heading back towards the hallway and the lit room, garage door open and a small red convertible running beside the truck he came in on. The top was down and the sun was just beginning to rise as he climbed in behind the wheel, feeling absurdly awkward as it began inching out the garage door without his direction. A voice echoed behind him, loud enough he could hear it in the large space.

 

“ _Good morning, Axel. Did you sleep okay?_ ”

 

“Good morning, Roxas. I did, thanks. How did the algorithms for materialization go last night?”

 

“ _Very good, I believe I found another variable we were missing in your formula._ ”

 

The garage door silently slid shut on their voices, the wind filling Sora’s ears and messing his hair as his mind whirled.

**Author's Note:**

> Sometimes my brainstorming sessions get out of control. Also, I don't have a beta or anyone to read my things for me before I post them, so they're pretty dang raw - sorry not sorry -


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